Full Circle...

After a long stay in Canada and a crazy voyage through South, Center and North America, you can imagine I was dying to get back to Romania! I purposely did not say “home” as this term is nowadays a very confusing one; I feel at home in a lot of places and it is hard to say I only belong to one… no longer just from Brasov or Sibiu, Guelph or Toronto, La Paz, Ostional or Merida but a bit from everywhere…

Tired of living out of my backpack, never sleeping in the same place for more than 3 nights in a row, handling long bus rides and having the same conversations of where I was and where I am heading, I was getting excited only at the thought of stepping again on Romanian ground. Being back meant being me with no explanations; when you are surrounded by the people who really know you explanations suddenly stop and there is just that beautiful silence between actions and reactions… you can be yourself and that is it! At least in theory… In practice, however, I learnt that for the 1^st time in my life I had to explain myself more than I have ever done it with my family; and through this I learnt that I have changed in some regards, maybe some of the most important for them: the way I handle my space, my time, my money (or lack of it), my eating habits, my interactions with them. I think my life being back has been a constant cry to make myself understood and accepted for who I am… the same at the end of the day but on my own terms!

As for my friends, they are still mine; maybe a few experiences and memories extra where I have no tag for any of their “photos” but nonetheless it still feels natural to care for them, laugh, talk, be upset with them and seek their company. I still wish we could all leave in neighboring apartments or at least be able to fit them all in my suitcase whenever the wind blows some cardinal point out of the country. Maybe the toughest thing is accepting that no matter how much I want them to be physically present in my life, their own choices might make them tight but virtual friends.

Romania is still Romania for me; I love it and have “fights” with it; it gives me inner peace and deep frustrations, it scares me out of my wits and comforts me as it is synonym with roots and beginning. Out of my trip I realized something very ironic: I travelled on several continents but I still do not know Romania, have not seen all it can offer and it is a pity; I came prepared to leave it soon for bowls of rice and river boat rides and was hit hard… I am trapped between not wanting to leave and making everything possible to leave. My heart tells me to stay but my reason knows that it is now the time when I can still afford to leave it for new experiences and come back and be forgiven… However I did promise one thing and I plan to keep to it… I will make a conscious effort to discover my country in the near future; there is nothing sadder than a glob trekker who did not trek their own back yard.

So, no major shock or rough cultural re-integration, just a lot of free time on my hands, getting used to being my parents’ child again, laughing with friends, getting past old obsessions and discovering new ones and working on the next set of travel photos.

Heart and soul in Romania until further notice,

Miruna :o)

Beso Latino

I walked and bused through 12 countries in South, Center & North America for 5 months: some called it guts, some free time on my hands but I call it a selfish flee from responsibilities, reality and the future... it was a damn good choice and regret just what I did not have the time or money for to experience/see! My first big backpacker trip, I realized how this could be a job in itself, a life style, a life long passion...

Traveling made me humble in ways I had never had the idea it could... living modest, appreciating a good conversation, an excellent street meal, smiling when tired and wanting to give it all up and go home, planning for tomorrow today, and being happy if you made a good deal at the market not just for you but also for the kind lady sitting behind the heaps of avocado and mango.

Traveling is fun when you have someone to share a good sun set with or the frustration of not knowing where to go next when faced with a dead end; traveling is challenging when you decide to give up the beaten path and say YES to the unknown; traveling is tiring when you move "house" every single night and just wish you do not have to read again the "original" house rules in every hostel; traveling is demanding when you speak with your hands & face and just wish you get the message across; traveling is insightful when you discover who you are and where you are coming from by comparison... Traveling is like the perfect kiss... when you taste it you feel the ground spinning underneath your feet and live in a secret quick pain that it will end every second now; when you had it you always look forward to a next best one and when you do not have it, you dream awake about making it reality...

Wandering I learned that I want to continue traveling to discover places, people, people and places; that family should come before friends and that true friends should be family; modesty, politness and smiling are universal currency and can "buy" you more than all the money in the world; and finally, that no matter how far and long you travel the Earth, at one point, you should put time aside to learn about your own backyard.

Amigos con sangre caliente, lugares donde pedasos de tu corazon se quedan, comida que rie con cada ingrediente, conductas que te dejan frustrado y indignado, viajes con parientes maya, mercados colorados en frutas y verduras, sonrisas morenas que queman sonrisas blancas, bellezas unicas y simples... GRACIAS para dejarme verle, tenerle, probarle, sentirle!

May your travels be like your first best never ending, always hunting and never sufficient kiss,
Miruna :o)

The "Under" Acheiver´s World...

When the dive instructor asked me how come I wanted to get my Open Water Diving Certification, I realized that I have run up to North-West of Honduras, bought bug repelent, took a ferry and got to the island without a very great answer in mind... so I just answered akwardly "Because it seems like fun and interesting!"... how dull is that?

Taking the diving course was most likely one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, both physically and mentally. I had no idea how my mind would react to this totally new environment considering I am not all comfortable in large bodies of water, wearing new gear and having to performe instructions that sometimes do NOT apply with your simple principles of human being...
1. Stay calm... CALM???? I am 4 meters under water (eventually 18 meters)... I depend on new gear for breathing and I need to remember to breath continuously and with large gasps (this might sound funny but have you ever really tried to see how well you breath and if you ever hold your breath during your regular activities?... you will be suprised of the answer!)

2. Breath only through your mouth... well, I really like to use my nostrils... they are fun :) but underwater this does not work... you just need to forget you have them, avoid thinking they get floaded by water (which gives me an uncontrollabal reaction of panic) and if your mask gets floaded just calmly take the water out as explained patiently by the instructor.

3. Equalize... well this was a tricky part for me... as my sinuses are very terrestral and hated allowing me to go deep... so pinching my nose, giggling my jaws and swallowing became obssesive! hahaha... I looked like I was encountering a sconk every other meter when going down :P

4. Control boyancy... another tricky part... when has it been last you had to think about your equillibrium and not floating up and/or down... hahaha... well unless you are not into interesting sports or habbits, I would suspect the answer to be at least "a long time ago..."

During the 4 days of classes and underwater practice, fighting a damn cold which was blocking my sinuses and transforming me in a bubble head, I was trying to answer to the intial "Why?". The answer did come but in several instances:
Dive #3: I finally managed to get my boyance right and I started to relax and see the fun in floating around. I looked down as big and small bubbles were rushing towards me... another diver exhaling; I could see myself in his bubbles and it was magic... somewhere in the lines of soap bubbles...
Dive #4: I was following the others contemplating my suroundings; the corals were deep blue-greenish and above the coral wall you could spot the setting sun... I thought to myself this is unique and something that the ordinary person only experiences through the flat screen of their TV.
Dive #5: my sinuses were not at all cooperating, had had problems hearing for the past 2 days, my nose was leaking like crazy however I decided to still go for my fun dives. I went diving and came back with my mask full of blood (nothing allarming... it happens to the unfortunate divers whoes sinuses do not agree with the activity). I wipped my face, went for a tuna burger on a tiny island and went back as I was feeling challenged by my body, nature itself.. the WORLD :)
Dive #6: There were so many species of fish, coral and other little animals; it was almost like I was looking around for the 1st time, noticing the different types, shapes, colors, sizes... unique with every heart bit, a new world to discover with every fin stroak!

Maybe I will never be a champion of diving but what I do know is that where there are new things to discover, there is a dash of challenge and magic that is where I want to be.
Buddy check done! Deflating my BCD and going down... fishy fishy here I come!
Miruna :o)

Ostional: Home to the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

I have not written in a while although there are quite a few stories in between. Let´s just say I am keeping some things for when we meet face to face... Nevertheless I experienced something amazing and what better way to let the whole world know than this... friends and acquaintances :)

As a traveler you always meet other travelers with somewhat more time, better principles and more determined, who will tell you about their volunteering experiences past or future and you stop and think: "Maybe there should be a bit more to my trip than just travel..." I thought about it too and started doing a small research for voluneering for sea turtles in Costa Rica; it would have definitely combined some elements that I love: nature, animals, genuine local community and just the space to help without asking anything in return.

Luck came over me the minute I found the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional, Costa Rica working to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle population that nests on the 7km long beach next to the village. First glance nothing incredibly amazing about this however I was blown away by everything that I was allowed to see and learn during a week of volunteering there.

3 people really marked my stay and deeply inspired and gained my full respect: señor Gilberth and his wife, señora Maria, and señor Rodrigo. Señor Gilberth is the current president of the association and he virtually works 24/7 with little sleep but always fully engaged and dedicated, señora Maria, always smiling and an excellent cook, one of the founders of the association and the project; and quite but insightful señor Rodrigo, the biologist working on the project who simply lives on coffee. They were my family, friends and teachers....

What is absolutely incredible about the organization and the project is that the human population of Ostional is working together to protect the sea turtles; there are night guards who protect the beach and guard the turtle eggs against thieves, they run educational programs for schools and also for tourist/organized groups and run a tourist guide service that is safe an does not harm or endanger the sea turtles, the eggs or their environment.
Probably the most amazing part of the project and the one that I had the most questions about is the legal extraction of turtle eggs which they sell to different businesses or individuals. Now please read before you freak out :) Yes, it is true that it is written everywhere "Do not eat turtle eggs" ; now what the governement and other intitutions fail to say is the fact that the community in Ostional represented by the association is allowed to extract and sell LEGALLY turtle eggs. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle population at Ostional is not facing extinction thanks to the project and therefore the small extraction of eggs (lower than 0.05% of total eggs laid) is perfectly fine and helps the community help itself and help continue protect the sea turtles.

Out of the benefit gained from the egg sale each member of the organization receives an equal amount of money regardless of their role in the whole process; the association pays the night guards, contributes to local projects and infrastructure (bridges, roads... to get to Ostional you have to cross 3 rives however the bus crosses through the water; with help from egg sales the community build 2 bridges where small vechicules and pedestrians can cross) etc etc. If you 1st thought is that these people are rich and they are making a tone of money, I would ask you to think again... every member of the association works for an estimate of $70/month throughout a year.... and it is freaking hard work! Cleaning the beach, guarding at night rain or "moon", counting nests and turtles, extracting the eggs, pack them and manage to sell them. On top of all this the fun part is that there are a few "great and full hearted" individuals who steal eggs and sell them illegally, some who do not respect fishing standards and sufocate sea turtles in their nets, some that pretend to be Ostional guides who sell a project that is NOT theirs and the beauty of an unique phenomenon in the world for their own gain and interest without ANY respect to the turtles, their environment OR the hard work that the community is doing to preserve something that they should not even be entitled to look at!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! and besides this there is virtually no other institution, governmental or other who even slightly wants to help the community or the project... even though the project is unique in the world, a best case practice and has seen an increasing rate of success in the number of sea turtles that come to nest, eggs laid, turtles getting born etc etc etc. there is NO campaign to support the project and all you can see is "do not consume the eggs"... and in very fine print, most of the times skipped "unless they are from Ostional".

Now the other amazing thing is the people`s attitude: they want to protect their project, they want to grow it for the benefit of the turtles and everything that comes with that and they want to educate people regarding sea turtles and conservation. What Ostional needs is not hoards of happy turists BUT needs interested individuals who want to help by volunteering, to work with the community. YES, there are such people who do not think money is the winning answer, they believe in the power of helping hands and minds to allow this human - turtles symbiosis to continue at Ostional.

If this seems like propaganda I do not care! I simply wish you to get my passion, my interest and my struggle to make this known to anyone who wants to listen and give a damn. I was a volunteer for a brief week and lucky enough to see the "arribada", the simultanious arrival of more than 1 million turtles in the span of 3-5 days to lay their eggs on the 7km stretch of beach... I was allowed to work with a passionate community, feel the happyiness of caring a baby turtle closer to the ocean, help move a nest so that theives will not find it, help flip back on its tummy a confused turtle, count incoming sea turtles on the beach, see human shapes aproaching in the morning light, locals approaching to harvest and pack the eggs for sell.

If you have the time, energy and money and care about something that impacts in a positive way both animals and humans, maybe decide to take your next trip to Costa Rica to experience the Ostional "arribada" first hand and support a project and community that has never said no to a new helping pair of hands. If you are Costa Rican than do consume Ostional sea turtle eggs (they are 4 times more rich in proteins than regular chicken eggs!) JUST make sure that where you are buying them from has documentation that certifies they are purchased legally from the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional!

Ostional, its turtles and its people will forever stay with me... I have never seen so much passion in so many eyes and hearts! I feel so helpless in finding the right way of saying thank you... Miruna :o)

Photos: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62841&l=ac131&id=503129457

Land, Air & Water

Lately it seems that I have been very mobile and by diverse means of transport! NOw all I need is a rocket to the moon ;)

Nasca Lines or the Zoo
Visiting Peru it is kinda on everyone´s mind, to fly over the mysterious Nasca lines. I must admit it was hell: organization, services and in general all... it is indeed a huge hassle and a VERY expensive one and after doing it, even though in my head I kept saying "Once in a life time, once in a life time!", I sincerely think that it is cooler to relax in your chair and watch a documentary or two about them on TV.

Between the continous feeling of vomiting, the dizziness and the fear that your tiny plane will plunge head front into the desert, the round and round movement allows you to catch glimpses of the strange lines... a parrot, humming bird, spider, a cute astronaute, my favourite the monkey :) and many others. It does seem out of this world especially with the setting.... a desert of nothingness just brownish-redish dust and some peaks... However one thing that I liked and will remember out of the documentaries that we watched before getting on the plane was one of the scientists saying "Why acknowledge these mysterious lines to extra terrestrial beings, considering them superiour to our pre-decesors and not actually think that us as human beings, even if it was some time ago, were able to build such lines and have an inteligent reason for them?".

Y-HA! or Please please, do NOT kill me!
Decided to go visit the small town of Vilcabamba in the South of Ecuador. It is close to the Podocarpus National Park, which houses the pine tree with the same name, specific for this region. A horse ride seemed the most adventurous so I decided to take it... a full day nonetheless. As I have never rode a horse in my life before, I had no idea what was expected of me for the whole day, however after the first 10 minutes I started to regret I did not take the 2 hour beginners` tour.

The ride was amazing, and it was much more amazing to see how the horses climbed up on the sinous tiny muddy road! RESPECT! In their place I would have thrown my butt on the ground and leave. I thought that climbing is hard, but decending was even harder; really dangerous, but I made it... I mean I managed not to fall and slightly control the horse, and the horse managed to stand me and get me home unharmed :)

Ingapirca or the Ecuadorian Macchu Picchu
In case you are wondering what I am talking about... well it is real and does exist, it is just not as popular as the one in Peru! Ingapirca is a blend between two cultures: the Cañari and the Inka. The Cañari, who were venerating the Moon, were first to start leaving in the area and then the Inka, who´s main God figure was the Sun, came and convinced the Cañari to allow them to live there as well. For me it had this feeling of a hidden treasure, a secret that not the whole world is on and for that it is much more incredible. The sad part is that it is not very well maintained or guarded and the visitors really take advantage by climbing the walls and doing whatever they feel like...

Chu Chu Train in Alausi
The guide book says it is a must see in Ecuador... so, me as a good tourist I listen and go try it :) The famous train ride between Alausi and Sibambe through the Nariz del Diablo!
After waking up at an ungodly hour just to manage to get a ticket for the last ride of the day (all the rest of the tickets were sold mysteriously before the ticket booth opened) you need to wait for about 4-5 hours more for the ride. There is not much to do in Alausi as the town is as big as its front street; however one sight that it is worth all your attention are the locals. They all dress in traditional clothes and it is a rainbow of pleasure and excitement! I looked like a freakin´ stocker with my camera and huge smile! :)

To be totally honest the train ride had nothing of spectacular except the fact that: 1. I rode on top of the train with the wind and rain in my face! BoooooYA! 2. Hmmmm... what was the second thing?? :P

Tunnel of Death or "Most Stupid Things I Did" List
Baños is a very touristic spot but a good place to just chillax and enjoy being surrounded by people who have more travel stories than you do. It is famous for its crunchy toffee and amazing surroundings, which I both tested :)

I decided to do a bike ride throuth the Falls Route (Baños to Puyo) to see the breath taking Paivlon del Diablo Fall and just move some of the unused muscles. The scenery was indeed incredible and seeing the Paivlon del Diablo was a true experience... I got soaking wet climbing down the stairs to take a closer peak at the huge water fall, mud up to my years paasing through a natural tunnel to get underneath the fall and out of breath climbing back up to dry land!

Now the real story of this ride is the fact that as a biker you need to pass through 2 paralel tunnels; one on your way to the falls and one on your way back, and there is no way around them. Nothing interesting there except the fact that there is NO light in the tunnel... natural or artificial, so you are virtually riding into peach dark for about 2 minutes, re-converting to whatever your initial religion believes were and feeling your heart beating in your throwth so hard that you cannot concentrate to pedal. Meanwhile you hear a dumb sound behind you and a slight light approaching and you can just think of one thing: "I am too young to die!"

Here fishy, fishy, fishy... HERE fishy!
Whale watching and snorkeling is a must in Puerto Lopez and who am I to say no! Although I went whale watching in Canada before, I thought to give it one more try and the magic goal was to take a shot of a whale tale! And I did! There were soo many whales all in the same place, I was amazed... and soo close and big! It is a feeling that is hard to describe as it is almost like they are extraterrestrial just because they seem so out of this world, so untouchable so different from everythintg that you regularly see or experience! The sad part is that although they seem untouchable.... they are very fragile and even my whale watching trip contributed, I think, to some extent to their discomfort. I felt like we were harassing them... as soon as we spotted a whale every single boat (and I guess there were about 5) would put all their engines on and go meet the whales... It did not feel right but hopefully they did not mind it that much... or maybe they did as they did not jump for us :(

At the end we went snorkeling, another though try for me as I could not concentrate breathing only through my mouth... big and unknown body of water + me with fear of imaginary man-eating creatures in the water = this does not tell my brain: "Relax! Take it easy and just breath through the tube... it´s ok!" After a few tries I did manage and I am proud to say that the marine biologies in me observed: little fish and big fish with tones of colors and moves :)

Quito by Night at HIGH Speed
Ever since I got into Quito I have been pampered and taken care of just like a princess. I have been staying with an Ecuadorian family, Stefanie´s family and it really gave me a more indepth view of how Ecuadorians are, what they value and what they do day to day.
One of the highlights of the stay here was a crazy motorbike ride through Quito at night with Juan, Stefanie´s brother.

I sincerely (AGAIN) thought that I will die! From the adrenaline and the scare I was trembeling like a leaf but it was SWEEEEEET! High speed and just an amazingly quiet Quito in the night light. Besides the fact that it is a huge city, it looks even bigger during the night due to the thousands and thousands of lights all around. I got home with my hair looking like a fire bush, blue lips and a huge grin saying: WOW! CHEVERISSIMO! :)))

Over and still not out,
Miruna :o)

Those Incas Were Fit!

As the original Inka trail was booked until October, by those carefully planned travellers who know where they will be in 6 months... we took an alternative route which included bits and pieces of the original Inka trail, a day of hardcore mountain biking and 3 days of going up and down on narrow paths to reach Macchu Picchu.

The Ride of a Life Time

When I said "yes" to a one day bike downhill I had NO idea that it will like it was... We drove up until lunch on a very wavy road that played sadistic tricks on my stomach; after lunch we geared up and off we went... 5 hours of biking. First portion was OK, good road, just a tiny bit dangerous due to the speed that you would take no matter which part of the road you were on. And all of a sudden we got to this bumpy rocky dirt road and the FUN started... I thought I will swallow the handle bar; my butt has never felt so many rocks and bumps in its life! It was a rocky road concealed by dust and edged by banana plantations.
So let´s see if I can make you imagine for a second what it felt like: imagine that you are in a seated position and someone is hitting you over your lovely butt as hard as they can with a peace of wood that has random bumps; while this is happening you are trying desperately to hold onto the handle bar and someone is trying to take it away from you by jiggling it so that your upper part of the arm feels like its will loose the muscles because of serious moving. As this is not enough dust is everywhere when the killer trucks ride like mad next to you, monstrous little flies serve lunch on your legs and you try to figure out how to tell your fingers that they still need to squeeze down the breaks as otherwise all 10 of them are gone together with the rest of you!

The crazy part is that after a while I was on a mission... one of not falling off... not dying that day as there are plenty I want to do... I started grinning like an animal and full of adrenaline I was BETTER than the road... the dirt road was my enemy and my friend... it was a battle and I was going to win it! And I did 5 hours later when I promised myself NEVER AGAIN!

Merci pour allumer mon chemain...
We started walking on the 2nd day and we did not stop (except nights) until the tour was finished. I am telling you those Inca people were fit and healthy and they had this obsession of building small narrow wavy roads with a TONE of steps... I went up and up and up and then down and down again and then we went up again and it did not stop. The surroundings were breath taking though... despite the sun burning down on you and the little killer flies biting with zest! Tall mountains on all sides... and just one wish... to get to Macchu Picchu!

On the last day we woke up at 4:00am so to start the climb to Macchu Picchu; to be there among the first so to have the right to climb Waynapicchu, the tall mountain that you see in all posters next to Macchu Picchu; only 200 lucky tourists get to climb it each day...
So we were on a mission again. We climbed continuously for 1 hour; it was the most painfully stair climb of my life and sincerely I was screaming "Para!" in my head but in reality I did not want to give up... I had to climb one more and another one. Our guide was not human on those stairs, it seemed that he was strolling along... I do not know how he does it... practice I guess...
We got there in time and after wating to enter at Macchu Picchu, we waited again to enter for Waynapicchu.

Waynapicchu Mountain is this intense summit covered in plants and stairs; I climbed the stairs on 2 legs... 4 paws... just the last "100 meters" of the tour... this was it, I was about to see the place where Gods stood. We were the 1st two on the summit and it was quiet... only clouds around us nothing more. I felt exhausted and in a few minutes amazed as I saw Macchu Picchu from above. The city looked as if all its inhabitans were taking a 30 minute extra sleep before they get up for their daily duties... only the missing roof tops were giving the truth away...

We walked around Macchu Picchu like any tourist; took a tour with a certified guide and admired some of the "hidden" beauties. The only time that it actually hit me that I am at Macchu Pichhu... THE Inka City was when up on a small hill I managed to catch on camera the standard photo that you get for Macchu Picchu posters... I felt happy! :)

Miruna :o)

Bits and Pieces...

I have been quiet but more than busy ;)
After the Bolivian Salar we went to Sucre to recharge our batteries, continued to La Paz where we witness the Bolivian National Day, traveled to Copacabana on the edge of Lake Titicaca to see the island where the Inka legend got born, hopped on a bus to get to Peru where in Puno we visited the Floating Islands, got in a bit of trouble in Arequipa and finally got to Cusco to prepare for the 4 day trial trek to the Inka City. Here are some highlights:

Uyuni to Sucre or the Bus Ride from Hell
We got comfortable on our night bus to Sucre (comfortable is a sarcastic term in this case...) where due to the multitude of people on the bus, on both the seats and on the floor, we felt warm and able to catch some glimpses of sleep in between the horrific bumps on the road. At around 1:00am we arrived in Potosi where a rough voice yelled that all who want to get to Sucre need to get off NOW! We got off, confused, moved our backpacks in another bus and got on. In the next 2 minutes we realized that the only people who moved where all the tourists off the other bus... no word of explanation, nothing, just that this is the "more" direct bus to the destination and that we are leaving in 5 minutes... well 5 minutes Bolivian Time!

I was sincerely very scared and soooo cold and tired; I got even more scared when I noticed that the bus kept going round and round in circles without actually getting out of the city. After about 1 hour locals started boarding the bus so I stopped fearing that much but I was still tired and just wanted to get to the freakin´ destination. At around 4:00am we finally left after the bus was nicely packed again... I am telling you that I was already preparing to yell and bite.... was sooo happy to get off the damn bus and get a hold of my belongings!


Bolivian Highlights
I highly enjoyed Bolivia, although I felt more in the center of attention being considered more "white" and rich as I was a tourist; it got tiring to always be on my toes and wonder if things will function as promised but at least Bolivia doesn´t fool you ahead before your trip getting your expectations up; they are just where they should be and when you get to experience amazing things the experience is two times much more rewarding.

What struck me when I got to Bolivia was to see how many individuals (especially) women are wearing with pride the national costume (knee lenght or longer bufant skirt, little bowl hat that never tips no matter what they do, the improvised colorful "backpacks" and their long brades on their back). It was beautiful and surprising to see this! One thing that I did not enjoy seeing was the fact that women act as the "burden" carriers... men flander around with no worries and in the meanwhile women carry the baby + a few other bags...

We visited the Coca Museum; yes, that´s what I wrote! The Coca plant has an incredible history and meaning for the South Americans and although our "Gringo" minds can only think about the evil bi-products of this plant there is much more than just this...
There are 2 things that a new married couple needed/needs to build here: a house and start a coca field. The 1st traces of the coca leaves were found in mummuies dating since 2500-1800 BC. The plant grows in higher lands and when dried the locals use it as an energizer; it was scientifically proven that by chewing coca leaves, one can endure longer hours of harsh physical work and can help withstand hunger or thirst; the coca leaves are also part of rituals and their offerings to their Gods, which they still venerate in a mixture of old beliefs and Catholicism.
The Coca legend says that indigenous people need to take care of the Coca plant and it will help them to live through any pain or sorrow; it also says that for the "white conquistadors" it will mean only evil and sickness...

One other thing that surprised me in Bolivia and especially in La Paz were the minibuses.... there are A LOT and that is not all... people with their heads or entire bodies out of the speeding minibus yell from the top of their lungs the direction and price; there are NO rules of engagement on the street (or at least none that I could observe) and they ride as if the street is first theirs and then for the rest of hundreds just like them... stop in the middle, side, next, on and off the street and the interesting thing is that they do not know the word "full"; they stack people like corn in a barn!

The Uros People
Crossing into Peru we had one 1st destination: Las Islas Flotantes (The Floating Islands). These man made islands were build about 500 years ago by people determined to flee the high taxes and oppressions lurking around on mainland next to Lake Titicaca (not the highest navigable body of water in the world!). Currently there are about 1500 people living on the floating islands; anywhere from 5 to 10 families on one islands... not more and not less. The Uros used to live out of fishing and trading but nowadays the lake is not as kind as it used to be so their lives grow harder and harder. Tourism as well has started to show its evil face but at least it brings some extra soles.

It felt surreal riding the boat into the dense vegetation of the lake and all of a suddent discover douzens of islands with straw houses and dark skinned people seeing to their daily duties or waiving at the photo obssesed internationals. People seem to live a very simple life, with the bare minimum or even less but they do not seem upset or discouraged. I met a young man and his wife; she had a hand for sowing and decorating little squash pods; he was a proud owner of a rudimentary kitchen and a pack of dirt within which potatoes grew. It seemed incredible, out of this world, out of anything that I call real... it felt intrusive... I felt intrusive and priviledged in the same time...

Arequipa: a monestary for rich Spanish girls, Juantita & an encounter with petty crime
Although the city has a nice feeling to it ever since I got there I felt it is awfully touristic and that everyone is up to get you or scam you just because you are not from around.
Three things that really left an impression on me from here:
1. We visited the Santa Catalina Monestary, a citadel in the middle of the city, built in 1570 and only opened to the public in 1970. It was initially built to house the girls of rich Spanish or Spanish origin families, as the unwritten rule then was that at least one child of the family will embrace a religious path. The monestary is a real labyrinth and you can see the influences of time passing by. It seems that at the beginning the nuns were allowed to have servants, until they were restricted to having only one! Obviously policies changed with times and according to the administration and the regulations coming from Rome, but it was still interesting to see the "luxury"; I also saw different devices of "soul" purification, or better yet self torture, their small medical facility and several gardens and kitchens.
No matter how interesting the place seemed I kept thinking to myself that this is a nicely decorated prison.... hiding, keeping away or steeling something...

2. We visited a small university museum which holds a very precious treasure for the Andean people - Juanita or the Frozen Princess is a frozen girl found on the summit of the Ampato Vulcano. She was sacrificed by the Inka to please the mighty Vulcano God. There are other 3 children found on the same summit but they are not frozen but mummified.

3. In a small busy market in search for bunelos, my little ogre managed to get robbed; we were very lucky as we managed to put our hands on one older guy who took part in the theft. I never thought he will see his wallet again... but after staying in the police office for an hour and discussing world economics and salaries with the police agent, the cheif of the station came and handed the virtually untouched wallet. The old guy had made a call and the police send a few patrolls around and "miraculously" for us the wallet turned up! I was sooo happy to get out of Arequipa!

Cusco and its Cathedral
I visited the most amazing cathedral ever! It is comprised of 3 different buildings and is a vivid example of the fusion between the local indigenous belives and culture and the one of the invaders and the Catholic church. At every step you can see signs of how Catholicism had to adjust to local believes and also how local belives were molded into Christian practices. I saw a black Christ, who is considered now the protector of Cusco and protector against earthquakes; the famous Last Supper painting withits central caracter... a fried Guinea Pig (local and symbolic food here); mirrors which represent Inti, the Sun God and also posibility of seeing in ones soul in the Andean culture and wooden carvings of the potato flower which symbolizes fertility. Each Easter morning at 5:00am there is a mass in Quechua, the indiginuous language from here and although it is this early, it is the most popular of the year.
It is amazing to see how after soo many years and events people are still preserving with care a large deal of their old spirit and everything that goes with it. The last thing that I saw, which left me with a sweet-sour taste in my mouth... I saw the 1st cross ever brought to South America... Can you imagine the power, the symbolism and the pain behind it?

There is much more in between than just this so just make sure you get an afternoon free for a cup of coffee and more stories when you catch me next!
Pupici,
Miruna :o)

3 Day Jeep Adventure on Bolivian Land: High Altitude, Cold & Pure Beauty

As one salt desert was not enough, we decided to see another one and the wonders around it: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

I must admit that the scenery on the Bolivian side were much more impressive, different from what I initially saw in Chile, but slightly more appealing. We crossed the boarder at a special tourist place where after paying the regular fees to cross into Bolivia, we got introduced to Luis our guide and Beatrice the cook for the trip. We got a red jeep which turned out not to be the best deal ever as something was wrong with it so on the 2rd and 3rd day we stopped several times not knowing if we will be able to continue the trip; however our guide/driver was very skilled and patient and he made it work.

The 1st day we saw 3 impressive lagoons: Laguna Verde (4300m alt) close to the Licancasur Volcano; Laguna Blanca and the world famous Laguna Colorada, a red lagoon which holds up to 20,000 flamingo birds during the summer... it is indeed something out of this world... simply beautiful and the more you look at it, the more you want to discover the spot with the most red! We also saw the Salvador Daali Rocks, which indeed resemble one of his paintings and we stopped at the Sol de Mañana Gysers to see their muddy bubbles and take a well deserved hot bath in the thermal pools :)

That night we spent at a very rudimentary hostel (4315m alt) just a couple kilometers away from the Laguna Colorada. Where we were told the temperature will drop to -27 degrees that night so obviously we slept with almost all our clothes under the many blankets and the rented sleeping bag. It was not that terrible however the slight symptoms of the altitude and the cold were very much present in the morning.

The second day the adventure continued with the Siloli Desert, a reddish desert punctuated in the horizon by volcano peaks and the Silola mountains which have layers over layers of beautiful colors. We stopped at 4400m alt to admire the Arbol de Piedra (Rock Tree) and continued to see the 4 Lagunas Altiplanicas: Honda (4115m alt), Chearcota (void of any life, the color is given by its bottom), Hedionda (it contains a special mineral that gives its white color) and Cañapa (large and inhabited by flamingos).

We passed El Paso del Inca and we took a glimpse at the active and smoky Ollague Volcano (5300 m alt). Speed crossed through the Salar de Chiguna to get to the Villa Martin, a hotel made out of blocks of salt, very welcoming and very much upgraded from what we had on the 1st night! The food was excellent as it was for the entire duration of the trip and we raised our glasses in celebration of one year of the hotel´s existence: ¡Salud!

Last day of the trip we woke up early early to catch the sun rise in the Salar de Uyuni (largest of its kind in the world!).... the Salar is painfully bright shining like glass or ice; as it was really cold again my brain kept thinking I am on a huge skating ring, although I was surrounded by kilometers of salt! We took photos, jumped around and took more funky photos (I wish I knew the type of crazy and creative things you can catch on camera in the salar...). We stopped for breakfast at the Isla del Pescador or Casa de los Maya, a huge rock smack in the salar covered with hundred of year old cacti. Up on top the view is breath taking!

We ended up stopping in a few touristic places: the old salt hotel, the place where salt is exploited, the train cemetery in Uyuni and a small town where we had lunch; very touristic and with people selling colorful clothes to anyone who would not categorize "from there". I was surprised to see how poorly people dress their kids no matter how big the pile of clothes for sale is... most of the young children are dirty and very little taken care of... from what I could see and grasp...

The trip ended in Uyuni where we managed to get a ticket to Sucre; the bus ride was hell and I will moke it soon; however one thing worth mentioning and which hunted me for the rest of the cold ride to Sucre was the fact that one of the Jeep of the other tourist company had an accident and 3 tourists and the driver were killed... It´s absolutely crazy and scary!

Anyway, hope you can take a glimpse at the photos on facebook so it can accompany your reading! Hugs,Miruna :o)